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Alopecia is a prevalent problem of cutaneous appendages and lacks effective therapy. Recently, researchers have been focusing on mesenchymal components of the hair follicle, i.e. dermal papilla cells, and we previously identified biglycan secreted by dermal papilla cells as the key factor responsible for hair follicle‐inducing ability. In this research, we hypothesized biglycan played an important role in hair follicle cycle and regeneration through regulating the Wnt signalling pathway. To characterize the hair follicle cycle and the expression pattern of biglycan, we observed hair follicle morphology in C57BL/6 mice on Days 0, 3, 5, 12 and 18 post‐depilation and found that biglycan is highly expressed at both mRNA and protein levels throughout anagen in HFs. To explore the role of biglycan during the phase transit process and regeneration, local injections were administered in C57BL/6 and nude mice. Results showed that local injection of biglycan in anagen HFs delayed catagen progression and involve activating the Wnt/β‐catenin signalling pathway. Furthermore, local injection of biglycan induced HF regeneration and up‐regulated expression of key Wnt factors in nude mice. In addition, cell analyses exhibited biglycan knockdown inactivated the Wnt signalling pathway in early‐passage dermal papilla cell, whereas biglycan overexpression or incubation activated the Wnt signalling pathway in late‐passage dermal papilla cells. These results indicate that biglycan plays a critical role in regulating HF cycle transit and regeneration in a paracrine and autocrine fashion by activating the Wnt/β‐catenin signalling pathway and could be a potential treatment target for hair loss diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper employs an order-theoretic framework to explore the intricacies of formal concepts. Initially, we establish a natural correspondence among formal contexts, preorders, and the resulting partially ordered sets (posets). Leveraging this foundation, we provide insightful characterizations of atoms and coatoms within finite concept lattices, drawing upon object intents. Expanding from the induced poset originating from a formal context, we extend these characterizations to discern join-irreducible and meet-irreducible elements within finite concept lattices. Contrary to a longstanding misunderstanding, our analysis reveals that not all object and attribute concepts are irreducible. This revelation challenges the conventional belief that rough approximations, grounded in irreducible concepts, offer sufficient coverage. Motivated by this realization, the paper introduces a novel concept: rough conceptual approximations. Unlike the conventional definition of object equivalence classes in Pawlakian approximation spaces, we redefine them by tapping into the extent of an object concept. Demonstrating their equivalence, we establish that rough conceptual approximations align seamlessly with approximation operators in the generalized approximation space associated with the preorder corresponding to a formal context. To illustrate the practical implications of these theoretical findings, we present concrete examples. Furthermore, we delve into the significance and potential applications of our proposed rough conceptual approximations, shedding light on their utility in real-world scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat stress adversely affects the litter traits of Landrace, the primary dam breed in Taiwan. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of heat stress during sow pregnancy with homogeneous and heterogeneous residuals to estimate the genetic parameters of the Taiwan Landrace. Performance records for 11 657 litters and weather data from 2008 to 2021 were collected. The climate effect was defined proportionally from cool to hot for climates 1 to 5. The homogeneous residual analysis showed that the heritabilities of the total number born (TNB) and number born alive (NBA) were 0.164 ± 0.014 and 0.111 < ± < 0.014 with residual variances of 10.338 and 9.164, respectively. The heterogeneous residual analysis showed that the residual variances for TNB and NBA were 8.934–11.113 and 8.196–9.810, respectively. For TNB, the residual variance in the herd–year–climate effect differed significantly in climate 1 from climates 3 to 5 (p < 0.01). In NBA, the residual variance was significantly lower in climates 1 and 2 than in climates 3 and 5 (p < 0.01). In conclusion, heritability was estimated for TNB and NBA. In addition, residual variances could interact with the climate effect in heterogeneous residual analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dopamine has been suggested to be a stop signal for eye growth and affects the development of myopia. Acupuncture is known to increase dopamine secretion and is widely used to treat myopia clinically. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine if acupuncture inhibits myopia progression in form deprived Syrian hamsters by inducing rises in dopamine content that in turn suppress inflammasome activation. Methods: Acupuncture was applied at LI4 and Taiyang every other day for 21 days. The levels of molecules associated with the dopamine signaling pathway, inflammatory signaling pathway and inflammasome activation were determined. A dopamine agonist (apomorphine) was used to evaluate if activation of the dopaminergic signaling pathway suppresses myopia progression by inhibiting inflammasome activation in primary retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. A dopamine receptor 1 (D1R) inhibitor (SCH39166) was also administered to the hamsters. Results: Acupuncture inhibited myopia development by increasing dopamine levels and activating the D1R signaling pathway. Furthermore, we also demonstrated that nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-, leucine-rich repeat (LRR)- and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLR) family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation was inhibited by activation of the D1R signaling pathway. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that acupuncture inhibits myopia development by suppressing inflammation, which is initiated by activation of the dopamine—D1R signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study takes a child-centred approach to examine the relationship between children's third-place play, parents' perceptions of their neighbourhood environment, and time spent by children in physical activity and sedentary behaviour during weekday out-of-school hours. A total of 1102 children aged 8–13 years from 19 schools across Auckland, New Zealand took part in a public participation geographic information systems (PPGIS) survey utilising closed- and open-ended questions and child mapping of destinations. The results suggested that playing in green places near home were associated with more time spent in light physical activity and less sedentary behaviour. Children who played in street places near home (e.g. driveways, footpath, carpark) spent more time in moderate to vigorous physical activity. Although parental perceptions of their neighbourhood environment were not directly associated with children's time spent in physical activity, children with parents who perceived their neighbourhood as more connected were more likely to engage in third-place play. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]